P6.14
Far-infrared spectroscopy of the troposphere (FIRST): Instrument description, performance, and results
Martin G. Mlynczak, NASA/LARC, Hampton, VA; and D. G. Johnson, H. Latvakoski, D. P. Kratz, M. Watson, K. Jucks, W. Traub, G. E. Bingham, S. Wellard, and C. Hyde
The Far-Infrared Spectrosocpy of the Troposphere (FIRST) Instrument successfully completed its demonstration flight in June 2005 on a high altitude research balloon from Ft. Sumner, NM. FIRST is a Michelson Fourier Transform Spectrometer nominally covering the spectral interval from 6 microns to longer than 100 microns with a single beamsplitter and focal plane. The instrument, developed under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program, demonstrated the ability to measure the far-infrared spectrum with a high throughput interferometer. The FIRST spectra are in the mid-infrared are validated against simultaneous measurements made by the AIRS instrument on the AQUA satellite and in the far-infrared against radiative transfer calculations using near-simultaneous radiosonde data. The instrument performance is discussed and the comparisons with the correlative measurements and calculations are discussed. FIRST opens a new window in exploring the Earth's radiant energy budget and climate.
Poster Session 6, New and Future Sensors and Applications
Thursday, 2 February 2006, 9:45 AM-9:45 AM, Exhibit Hall A2
Previous paper Next paper